Aaron Bell, Carly DelSignore and their four children and friends. Photo courtesy of Tide Mill Farm.

Know Your Organic Producers!

Meet the MOFGA certified organic farmers from Tide Mill Farm in Edmunds, Maine. The Bell family has farmed this land for nine generations, and now six Bell households keep the farm going, raising and selling just about everything that will grow in rugged Washington County, Maine. Aaron Bell and Carly DelSignore are two of the now-famous stars of the documentary "Betting the Farm," about starting Maine's Own Organic Milk Company. With the help of their four young children, they grow and market certified organic foods, specializing in nutritious vegetables, eggs, meat and milk. They also make and sell balsam wreaths and conduct educational farm tours. "Our goals," they say, "include connecting people to healthy food; educating consumers and our community about the importance of locally farmed, organic food; strengthening our local economy; and rejuvenating agriculture as an economically viable lifestyle in Washington County. We hope to leave behind a more enriched agricultural environment and local food systems for future generations." The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener profiled Tide Mill in 2009. Tide Mill website. Look for Tide Mill at the Common Ground Country Fair farmers' markets.Please support MOFGA certified organic farmers and producers!Search for local certified-organic food on MOFGA.net

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Volunteers Needed at MOFGA Next Week

Please join MOFGA, if you can, on one or two volunteer work days next week - one on Tuesday, Aug. 13, beginning at 9:30 a.m., to work in MOFGA's Heritage Orchard; and the second on Wednesday, Aug. 14, to shovel for some new grey water systems. Please contact Anna Libby, MOFGA's volunteer coordinator, if you can help: alibby@mofga.org or 207-568-4142. Thank you!

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Advance Tickets for the Fair Are on Sale Now

Advance tickets for the Common Ground Country Fair are on sale now! List of outlets. Advance tickets cost the same as tickets at the gate but enable fairgoers to enter the Fair without waiting in line. The Fair is MOFGA's premier event of each year - and you don't need to buy a ticket if you're a MOFGA member. Members get free admission to all three days of the Fair - September 20, 21 and 22 this year. In addition, MOFGA members receive a quarterly newspaper on organic farming and gardening, discounts on training sessions and the satisfaction of being part of a community that is passionate about healthy, locally grown food and sustainable landscapes. Please join MOFGA today. We look forward to seeing you at the Fair!

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Ted Quaday. Nicole Formenti photo.

We Have a New Director!

MOFGA is pleased to announce that Ted Quaday is our new executive director. An organic food advocate, Quaday has dedicated the past 15 years to working for family farms and sustainable agriculture. He is a former program director at Farm Aid, where he worked with family farm and good food advocacy organizations throughout the country. A former communications director at the Organic Farming Research Foundation, Quaday currently provides strategic communications services to advocacy groups working to build the food movement. He tweets at TQorganic.

"MOFGA has established itself as a leader in advancing organic policy that is beneficial to farmers and to those who enjoy organic food. I look forward to joining the MOFGA team to continue advancing the vision of locally produced organic food for all," said Quaday.

Quaday will attend the Common Ground Country Fair and will officially begin work with MOFGA on October 1.

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Farm Training Project workshops continue to attract dozens of MOFGA apprentices and others interested in learning how experienced farmers are growing, marketing, controlling pests, and generally raising crops and livestock. Next week's workshops are on permaculture.

Introduction to PermacultureWednesday, August 14, 5 p.m. at Schoodic Hollow Farm, Franklin
Thursday, August 15, 5 p.m. at Rippling Waters Farm, Standish
Permaculture is a method of landscape design and food production that is based on the principles of ecology and diversity. Come and see two excellent examples of how permaculture can help bring vitality back to land, mitigate problematic soils and increase a farm's resilience. More information.

The FDA's proposed rules for implementing the Food Safety Modernization Act are limited, in that they address biological but not chemical or physical contamination of produce; yet in other respects they overreach and could put some direct market produce farmers out of business.

On August 19 from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., FDA representatives will be at the Augusta Armory to hold a listening session about its proposed rules. This is the only session scheduled in Maine and one of only three in New England. This is an important opportunity for growers to communicate directly with FDA on the proposed rules.

Those who cannot make the listening session can submit comments by Nov. 13, 2013.

MOFGA's agricultural services director, Dave Colson, has summarized the proposed food safety rules along with questions about them. His concise article is posted at www.mofga.org, along with links for commenting and for more information.

Events in Maine and Beyond - Mark Your Calendar!Farmer Field Days at Neighboring Farms in Washington County. Co-sponsored by MOFGA. Every Monday morning 7 a.m. - Scything and Permaculture, Jim Kovaleski, 187 US Route 1, Robbinston. FMI: james.kovaleski@gmail.comNOFA-New Hampshire Summer Series - A wide range of topics at workshops held throughout New Hampshire during the summer and fall.

NOFA Vermont Summer Workshops - Whether you're a beginning or experienced farmer, a gardener or homesteader, or just want to deepen your connection to local farms, NOFA Vermont's summer workshop series has something for you. Workshops are held every few days at locations throughout Vermont.

Aug. 18 - Eastport Kitchen Gardens Tour. 1-4 p.m. Six Eastport kitchen gardens will be on tour, showcasing a range of styles to inspire gardeners of all abilities. Tickets $3 per person to tour all six gardens and are available with maps at Peavey Memorial Library, downtown Eastport at the corner of Water and Key streets. Rain date: Sunday, August 25, 1-4 p.m. FMI: 207-853-4528 or visit Facebook page "Eastport Kitchen Gardens Alliance."

August 19 - From 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., FDA representatives will be at the Augusta Armory to hold a listening session, the only one scheduled in Maine and one of only three in New England.

Volunteer Workday: Putting Food ByJoin MOFGA's Cheryl Wixson in preserving the harvest from MOFGA's gardens. Volunteers will work with Cheryl in the kitchen to preserve food for use at the Common Ground Country Fair and throughout the year. Workdays are on September 4th and 9th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at MOFGA's Common Kitchen in Unity, ME. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP to MOFGA's Volunteer Coordinator, Anna Libby, at alibby@mofga.org.

September 11 - Four Season Forward - Producing Year-Round Crops Using High Tunnels, Low Tunnels and Quickhoops, with Clara Coleman of Four Season Farm Consulting. Littleton, Maine. Potluck. Co-sponsored by MOFGA and Southern Aroostook Soil and Water Conservation District. Information.

November 14-16 - Soils Conference with Arden Andersen in Bangor"Grow the Food the World Wants" -
How Farmers Farm Determines How the Rest of the World Lives
Dr. Arden Andersen will present the latest on nutrient-dense biological agriculture and how healthy soils make economic and environmental sense, at Heart of Maine's Annual Soils Conference in Bangor. MOFGA is cosponsoring this event. Information: www.heartofmaine.org, info@heartofmaine.org, 207-200-3603. Early-bird registration closes on Sept. 30.